LAS VEGAS – Emily Thomas Kendrick, president and chief operating officer of Arrow Exterminators, received the Women of Excellence Award, a new industry-related program presented by Orkin, Inc. Thomas Kendrick was presented the award this morning during PestWorld.

Thomas Kendrick began her career at Arrow in 1998, learning the operations side of the business from several branch offices in metro Atlanta before transitioning into commercial pest control sales. She worked with Arrow’s marketing and IT departments prior to her promotion to chief operating officer in 2003. In 2008, she assumed her current role as president.

In accepting the award Thomas Kendrick thanked sponsor Orkin as well as her family (including husband Hugh and father Joe Thomas, CEO of Arrow Exterminators) and her extended family – the team at Arrow Exterminators.

“I think that this award is great for our industry,” Thomas Kendrick said. “Given that the pest management industry is brimming with smart dynamic women I am honored and deeply humbled to accept this award.”

The selection process for the 2009 Women of Excellence Award was highly competitive, as the international honor was open to women across the pest management profession. In the award’s inaugural year, NPMA received a significant number of nominations for talented professionals who demonstrate outstanding leadership and make notable contributions to the development and growth of the profession and other women.

The company said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 17%. Ecolab CEO Doug Baker said the company’s U.S. pest business “has been steadily improving” due to a number of investments in that business starting two years ago.